Attachment for washing machines



June 25, 1957 A. J. H. PACKHAM ATTACHMENT FOR WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1954 Fig./

Fig. 2

Alfred J./-/. Pack/ram INVENTOR.

June 25, 1957 A. J. H. PACKHAM 2,797,058

ATTACHMENT FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 6

Alfred J. H. Pack/7am INVENTOR.

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United States Patent ATTAGHMENT FOR wAsHtNG MACHINES Alfred, 1., H. Paekham, St. Catharines, Lincoln, Ontalit), Canada Applinittionlanuary s, 1954, Serial No-40s,02s

2' Claims. (Cl. 248-201 This invention relates generally to a clothes basket construction and support means therefor particularly adapted for connection to. a washing machine so as to be readily accessible thereto.

A primary object of this invention is to provide novel and improved clothes basket mechanism which may be readily attached to and removed from a washing. ma;

chine which will, while mounted, be firmly supported while at the same time being readily accessible to a user of the washing machine for the. purpose of receiving and holding soiled or clean clothes, as desired, the basket being readily removable so as to provide a maximum of convenience to the housewife.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational viewshowing an upper portion of a washing machine with the novel attachment secured thereto;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the attachment;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the securing means;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure l, but showing a modified form of attaching mechanism;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the modified form of attaching mechanism; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view similar to Figure 4, but showing a modified form of construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates the tub portion of a wash ing machine, and the numeral 12 indicates the conventional upright post member at one side thereof which conventionally houses the drive mechanism for imparting rotation to the wringer rollers 14 carried by the conventional wringer arm assembly 16. Numeral 18 indicates the conventional gear shift lever and numeral 20 indicates the conventional gear housing cover members which are disposed on opposite sides of the post 12 and which are removable therefrom to expose the gearing disposed in the post for driving the rollers 14.

The machine also includes the apron assemblies 22 disposed on opposite sides of the wringer rollers and which include the depending peripheral wall portion 24, as shown most clearly in Figure 3.

One form of the invention consists of a pair of clamp members 26 having interconnected leg portions 28 and 30 adapted to be disposed on opposite sides of the apron wall 24, in the manner shown, one leg 30 thereof ice being provided with threaded apertures for the reception of. fastening bolts 32 to engage against the L-shaped clamp plate member 34 to urge the same toward the opposite leg 28 such that the wall 24 may be clamped therebetween. For the purpose of preventing marring of the apron wall, resilient strips of material 36 may be utilized on the opposite sides thereof as shown. As shown most clearly in Figure 5, one such resilient strip 36 may be affixed. to the clamping surface of the depending leg 38 of the member 34 while the other resilient strip 36 is secured to the inner face of the leg 28. From this figure also, it will be readily apparent that the offset portion 40 of the member 34-is adapted to overlie the upper end of the leg 30 and is provided with depending side flange portions 42 at its opposite side edges to properly position the same with respect to. the. leg 30.

Leg, 28 is, provided with a laterally projecting ear member 44 which is provided with an elongated slot 46 which is straddled by the bifurcated endportions 48 of the socket member 50, the furcations 48 being apertured as. at 52 such that the clamping bolt 54 may extend therethrough and through the car 44 and in cooperation with the nut member; 56 may clampingly secure the members 26 and 50 together inthe desired position.

' The socket. 50 is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced threaded apertures 58 for receiving the setscrew members 60 which are adapted to bear against and retain the depending leg portions 62 of the support arm assembly indicated generally by the reference character 64 therein. These legs 62 may be spaced apart slightly more than the thickness of the post member 12 for the most convenient attachment of the mechanism.

The leg portions 62 are vertically disposed and the support member 64 also includes a generally U-shaped horizontal portion having the spaced arm portions 66 interconnected at one end by the bight portion 68, the open end of the U being provided with the depending legs 62 previously described. Since the legs are rather closely spaced, it is preferred that they are provided with stepped portions 69 so that the arms 66 may be spaced apart somewhat more than the legs.

The support member is secured to the washing machine such that its horizontal portion overlies the main portion of the roller arm 16 in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 1. A basket, indicated generally by the reference character 70, preferably formed of open mesh construction is provided with an open bottom wall surrounded by a peripheral rod 72 to which the opposite ends of the U-shaped members 74 are attached, such that the main or bight portions of the U-shaped members are spaced slightly from the bottom of the basket. The bottom of the basket, taken in conjunction with the U-shaped members 74, form a tunnel for receiving the horizontal portion of the support member 64, it being manifest that the basket may he slipped onto or off of the horizontal portion of the support member very readily. At the same time, when the basket is disposed on the support member, it is not easily displaced therefrom, and forms a very suitable receptacle for either soiled or washed clothes. As seen most clearly in Figure 2, it is preferred that the arms 66 are spaced apart such that they are slightly spaced from the upright or leg portions of the U-shaped members 74 so that the socket members 50 need not be precisely spaced apart, that is, some error in their positioning is permitted such that the inherent resiliency of the support member 64 will permit the leg portions 62 thereof to be received in the socket while at the same time, the arm portions 66 will not be spread apart to such an extent therein. struction to the previously described support member Referring now more particularly to Figures 6-8, wherein a modified form of construction is shown, it

will be seen that in this construction, socket members '76 are secured directly to the gear cover members 20,

the sockets being provided with a set screw .78'for retaining the legs 80 of the modified support member 82 The support member, 82 is identical in con- 64, with the exception that it is formed of two portions hinged togetheras at 84. Otherwise, the construction of the assembly shown in Figures 6-8 is the same as that previously described. 3

' equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A laundry attachment for a washing machine, said attachment comprising the combination of a support having a first and a second horizontal spaced arm porfrom, means adapted to be fastened to the washing machine and having upwardly opening sockets in which tion, a bight portion connected to the outer ends of said arm portions, vertical legs attached to the opposite ends of said arm portions and depending vertically thereto accommodate the lower ends of said legs to hold said legs supported in a' vertical position and thereby hold said arm portions and bight portions in a horizontal plane, a basket having side walls and a bottom, means forming an open ended tunnel at the bottom of said basket and in which said support bight and arm portions fit, said tunnel forming means comprising a plurality of U-shaped wire members that have upwardly directed sides which are secured at their upper ends to the bottom of said basket and at the longitudinal edges thereof, and intermediate members connected between said wire member sides and arranged parallel to the bottom of said basket.

2. The laundry attachment of claim 1 wherein said means adapted to be fastened to the washing machine include clamp members, and adjustable means connecting said sockets and said clamp members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,705 Collamore Apr. 2, 1918 1,460,760 McGee July 3, 1923 1,834,682 Colstad Dec. 1, 1931 1,867,525 Piersall July 12, 1932 2,120,726 Baker June 14, 1938 2,610,015 Feierabend Sept. 9, 1952 

